Dido and Aeneas
Henry Purcell
Purcell’s exquisite subtlety and Dido’s lament performed by Véronique Gens.
Dates
Véronique Gens | Dido
Luigi De Donato | Aeneas
Manon Lamaison | Belinda
Isabelle Druet | Sorceress
Apolline Raï-Westphal | The witch's handmaiden
Marion Vergez-Pascal | A spirit / The witch's second handmaiden
Attila Varga-Tóth | A Sailor
Les Épopées
Stéphane Fuget | harpsichord, organ, direction
In the first part of the programme
Lully Royal Ballet of the Birth of Venus
About
Dido and Aeneas is a chamber opera blending tragedy and comedy in an exquisitely subtle story. Its concision does not detract from the dramatic tension which culminates in Dido’s final lament. In the first half, we are already nearing English shores with the Ballet royal de la naissance de Vénus, offered in 1665 by King Louis XIV to his sister-in-law, Princess Henrietta of England. This suite combines dance, music and poetry illustrating the birth of the goddess of Love.
Production Jeanine Roze Production